Expanding Integrated Testing at Oak Valley Health

Oak Valley Health is a leading community healthcare organization in Ontario, Canada. Consisting of Markham Stouffville Hospital, Uxbridge Hospital, and Reactivation Care Centre, it serves more than 480,000 patients per year.

Oak Valley Health’s two hospitals recently installed the DxC 500i Clinical Analyzer and DxI 9000 Immunoassay Analyzer. Used by medical laboratory technologists across both hospital sites, they were chosen for their unique ability to enhance accuracy, reduce the risk of errors, and support efficient workflows.

“We are fortunate to partner with Beckman Coulter to bring both machines to our hospitals. The availability of these new systems aligned perfectly with our needs, allowing our teams to enhance the way we work and embrace innovation,” says Jean Nash, Director, Laboratory and Diagnostic Imaging. “By automating processes, evolving our technology, and strengthening data-driven decision-making, we can continue delivering an extraordinary patient experience.”

The DxC 500i Clinical Analyzer delivers high-quality immunoassay and chemistry testing in one space-saving package—and it is designed especially for low-volume labs. Natalie Taranto, Beckman Coulter Marketing Manager, Chemistry/Immunoassay North America, recently asked Dr. Golnar Rasty, Chief of Laboratory Medicine, Oak Valley Health, a few questions about their goals for the new system at the Uxbridge site, their experiences to date, and their vision for the future.

Taranto: Tell us about your laboratory team at Oak Valley Health.

Dr. Rasty: Our laboratory team is highly skilled, resilient, and deeply committed to quality. They are motivated by knowing that every result has a patient behind it and that their work directly contributes to clinical decision-making. Across Markham and Uxbridge, our lab professionals consistently demonstrate technical excellence, adaptability, and pride in their role within the broader care team.

What stands out most is their commitment to doing things well, even under pressure. During periods of transition, including analyzer replacement and automation line changes, the team continues to focus on maintaining service continuity, supporting clinicians, and minimizing delays for patients. They care most about delivering accurate results, dependable turnaround times, and a level of service that gives clinicians confidence.

Taranto: How has the DxC 500i analyzer impacted your Uxbridge laboratory’s daily workflows?

Dr. Rasty: Implementing a low-volume, fully integrated chemistry and immunoassay system such as the DxC 500i [analyzer] supports a more streamlined, reliable, and sustainable laboratory workflow. For lower-volume or decentralized testing environments, integration is especially valuable because it allows teams to perform essential testing closer to where care is delivered while maintaining quality and consistency.

The value is seen in fewer manual handoffs, improved workflow efficiency, and better alignment between testing capacity and patient care needs. For staff, integrated systems help reduce complexity in daily operations. For clinicians and patients, the benefit is more dependable access to timely results, which supports faster clinical decisions and improves the overall care experience.

Taranto: What drove you to upgrade your previous analyzers?

Dr. Rasty: The need for change was driven by growing expectations from patients, clinicians, and hospital leadership for faster, more reliable diagnostic information. Laboratory results are central to patient flow, emergency department decision-making, inpatient care planning, and outpatient follow-up. As volumes and acuity increase, older systems make it more difficult to consistently meet expectations for turnaround time, reliability, and operational resilience.

At the same time, end-of-life equipment creates added risk for downtime, manual workarounds, and workflow inefficiencies. These challenges reinforced the need to modernize in a way that supports both current service demands and future growth.

Taranto: How would you describe the value of your partnership with Beckman Coulter?

Dr. Rasty: Our partnership with Beckman Coulter supports the laboratory beyond the analyzer itself. Successful implementation depends not only on technology, but also on training, service responsiveness, workflow planning, and long-term collaboration. Vendor partnership is especially important during periods of transition, when teams are adapting to new equipment, validating workflows, and maintaining continuity of service for clinicians and patients.

This type of partnership helps ensure that the laboratory is not simply replacing equipment, but strengthening the overall program. It supports staff confidence, contributes to smoother implementation, and helps position the lab for future growth, standardization, and continuous improvement.

Taranto: How does the DxC 500i analyzer help you serve your organization and local community in ways that were not feasible before?

Dr. Rasty: The DxC 500i [analyzer] helps Oak Valley Health better serve our organization and local community by supporting reliable testing in lower-volume or decentralized environments. This is particularly important in a multi-site hospital context, where patients may access care through different entry points but still require timely and consistent diagnostic support.

For the community, the impact is practical and meaningful: faster access to results, fewer delays in clinical decision-making, and stronger support for care closer to home. For the organization, it helps build a more resilient laboratory model that can respond to increasing demand while maintaining quality and safety. In that sense, the technology supports not only laboratory operations, but also Oak Valley Health’s broader commitment to integrated care for healthier communities.

Taranto: Our philosophy of Advantaged Workflows is centered around achieving efficient laboratory operations in the way that best promotes clinical excellence. How have the DxC 500i and DxI 9000 analyzers helped you in this regard?

Dr. Rasty: The systems offer precision, reliability, and faster operation. Fully automated, they produce highly sensitive results consistently and in less time. When we maximize the information from every blood sample, we can detect issues earlier and respond to patient needs sooner.

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